Teachers push for abolition of CPD Law5/5 (1)

The “immediate abolition” of the Continuing Professional Development, or the CPD Law of 2016, is being demanded by several teachers groups who said the law is burdensome for teachers and other professionals.

The teachers groups calling for the immediate abolition of the CPD Law of 2016 are the: Alliance of Concerned Teachers – Philippines (ACT-Philippines), Alliance of Concerned Teachers – Private Schools (ACT-Private Schools), Alliance of Concerned Teachers – National Capital Region Union (ACT-NCR Union) and the Philippine Public School Teachers Association – National Capital Region (PPSTA-NCR), Manila Public School Teachers Association (MPSTA) and Quezon City Public School Teachers Association (QCPSTA).

“At the outset, we strongly clamor for the immediate scrapping of the CPD Law for a number of commonsensical reasons which reflect the expert opinion of most professionals, especially teachers,” the groups said.

The groups argued that it is “an unnecessary law” because even before the CPD Law was crafted, “professionals can renew their licenses relatively smoothly and worry-free.” While there were “few problems, everyone seemed to be satisfied with the status quo,” the groups said.

However, when the CPD law was implemented, “the chaos came” –“long queues, unclear guidelines, exorbitant fees for applications for CPD accreditation; exorbitant fees for self-directed CPD activities” – among others.

“Scrapping the CPD Law will right away revert things to the nicer status quo when the only requirement for renewing one’s license is bringing his/her expiring license,” the groups said.

The groups also noted that even before the implementation of CPD, teachers – and all professionals – “have been engaging” in CPD activities.

“In the case of teachers, you can’t even be hired as an entry level public or private school teacher without engaging in any CPD,” they said.

“Teachers have been engaging in CPD activities without being legally compelled to do so, because CPD activities are simply part of the pre-application requirements for all teachers,” they added.

The CPD Law is “undue regulation” said the groups because “teachers, schools, and professionals have been somehow smoothly engaging in CPD activities.” The CPD Law, they added, “only made the process very costly, more bureaucratic and unnecessary regulative.”